Is Type 1 Diabetes More Serious Than Type 2

5 Ways Type 1 Diabetes Is Different From Type 2

When people hear that you have diabetes, they start to make assumptions that aren't always accurate. A lot of the confusion stems from the fact that there are two main types, yet many people don't understand how they're different. (Want to pick up some healthier habits? Sign up to get daily healthy living tips delivered straight to your inbox!) As someone with type 1 diabetes—I was diagnosed with it nearly 40 years ago—I'm all too familiar with the disease. I lived with it as a child, teen, and adult, and when I decided to have kids I had to figure out how to manage the condition while being pregnant. (I even wrote a book about it, Balancing Pregnancy With Pre-Existing Diabetes: Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby.) Having type 1 diabetes means I'm in the minority: Of the approximately 29 million Americans who have diabetes, only 1.25 million have type 1. Most have type 2, which is a totally different form. "Comparing type 1 to type 2 is like comparing apples to tractors," says Gary Scheiner, a Pennsylvania-based certified diabetes educator and author of Think Like a Pancreas. "The only thing they really have in common is that both involve an inability to control blood sugar levels." Here are 5 important distinctions. 1. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease; type 2 isn't. Diabetes happens when your body has trouble with insulin, a hormone that helps convert sugar from the food you eat into energy. When there isn’t enough insulin in your body, sugar builds up in the bloodstream and can make you sick. People with type 1 and type 2 both face this problem, but how they arrived there is quite different. If you have type 1, you don't make any insulin at all. That's because type 1 is an autoimmune disease in which your immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-making cells in your Continue reading >>

Diabetes Symptoms: Can You Tell Type 1 And Type 2 Apart?

Diabetes is a life-long condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to rise too high. New research by healthcare provider Abbott into the country’s views on diabetes has found 43 per of UK adults can’t tell the two types apart, despite the fact they have significant differences. Type 1 is when the body's immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin by mistake, damaging the pancreas and causing it to be unable to produce insulin and move it out of the bloodstream into cells. It is often inherited - if you have a close relative with it there’s a six per cent chance you’ll suffer too - and it can cause serious long-term health problems, including blindness, kidney failure and cardiovascular disease. Type 2 is the most common, with 90 per cent of diabetes suffers in the UK falling into that category. Type 2, on the other hand, is when the body doesn't produce enough insulin - or the body's cells don't react to insulin - meaning that glucose stays in the blood and isn’t used as fuel for energy. This type is commonly associated with obesity and old age, and triggers the same long-term health problems as type 1. According to the NHS, the second type is the most common, with 90 per cent of diabetes suffers in the UK falling into that category. Then there’s gestational diabetes - when women experience high levels of blood glucose during pregnancy - and pre-diabetes, the stage below full-blown diabetes when blood sugar is still above the normal range. Fri, August 19, 2016 Diabetes is a common life-long health condition. There are 3.5 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK and an estimated 500,000 who are living undiagnosed with the condition. Symptoms are similar for any type of diabetes. These include being very thirsty, going Continue reading >>

Type 1 Diabetes

Introduction Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person's blood sugar (glucose) level to become too high. The hormone insulin – produced by the pancreas – is responsible for controlling the amount of glucose in the blood. There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 – where the pancreas doesn't produce any insulin Type 2 – where the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin or the body’s cells don't react to insulin This topic is about type 1 diabetes. Read more about type 2 diabetes Another type of diabetes, known as gestational diabetes, occurs in some pregnant women and tends to disappear following birth. It's very important for diabetes to be diagnosed as soon as possible, because it will get progressively worse if left untreated. You should therefore visit your GP if you have symptoms, which include feeling thirsty, passing urine more often than usual and feeling tired all the time (see the list below for more diabetes symptoms). Type 1 and type 2 diabetes Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, but usually appears before the age of 40, particularly in childhood. Around 10% of all diabetes is type 1, but it's the most common type of childhood diabetes. This is why it's sometimes called juvenile diabetes or early-onset diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas (a small gland behind the stomach) doesn't produce any insulin – the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels. This is why it's also sometimes called insulin-dependent diabetes. If the amount of glucose in the blood is too high, it can, over time, seriously damage the body's organs. In type 2 diabetes, the body either doesn't produce enough insulin to function properly, or the body's cells don't react to insulin. Around 90% of adults with diabetes have type 2, and it tends to develop l Continue reading >>

Which Is Worse: Type 1 Or Type 2 Diabetes?

Late Update: To be completely clear, the goal of this post is to point out how unproductive this question is. It comes up from time to time in the forums, but only leads to division. We all, regardless of type, have plenty to share with each other. Now, on to the original article. On our Facebook page, we discussed the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In the process, some type 1s and type 2s both suggested that they had it worse. Before we look at this question, let’s review the difference between the two types. The Difference Between Type 1 & Type 2 Imagine insulin is the key that opens your cells and lets sugar enter. If sugar can’t enter, it builds up in the blood, makes you hungry and thirsty, and causes your body to turn to fat for energy. The symptoms of diabetes. In type 1, your pancreas stops making keys. You need to put keys in your body (i.e. inject insulin) or sugar can’t get into your cells. In type 2 diabetes, the keyhole is rusty. You have keys, but they have trouble opening the cells. You either need more keys or a way to make the lock work better. You can take a little rust off the lock by exercising, losing weight, or taking medication. This is an imperfect analogy, but hopefully it highlights the basic difference. So Which Type Is Worse? This is a maddening question. Every person is unique, and neither type is a cake walk! Type 1s need insulin to live – but type 2s can require enormous amounts of insulin as their resistance to it increases and their insulin production declines. Type 2s can walk around undiagnosed for 5 years and have complications when diagnosed. People with type 1 usually get diagnosed quickly and can take immediate action. But don’t type 1s live with diabetes for a longer period of time? Not always! Some type Continue reading >>

What Is The Difference Between Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes?

There are three major types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. All types of diabetes cause blood glucose levels to be higher than normal, but they do this in different ways Type 1 diabetes Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, but is most commonly diagnosed from infancy to the late 30s. With this type of diabetes, a person’s pancreas produces no insulin. It occurs when the body’s own defence system (the immune system) attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. What causes the immune system to do this is not yet completely understood, but we are funding research to find out. Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common type of diabetes – in the UK over 90 per cent of people with diabetes have type 2. Type 2 diabetes usually affects those over 40, or 25 if you’re of South Asian descent. However, it is becoming more common among young people due to lifestyle. The symptoms of type 2 diabetes are not always obvious and, unlike with type 1, they can take a long time to develop. People with type 2 diabetes either don’t make enough insulin or don’t make insulin that the body can use properly. The cells in the body become resistant to insulin, making a greater amount of insulin necessary to keep blood glucose levels within a normal range. Eventually, the pancreas can wear out from producing extra insulin, and it may start making less and less. Type 2 can usually be managed through diet, exercise, and self-monitoring blood glucose, at least in the first few years following diagnosis. However, type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition, and most people will need to take tablets and/or inject insulin after living with it for five to 10 years. LADA Up to a third of people who were initially diagnosed as having type Continue reading >>

What's The Difference Between Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes?

First, the formal name for what we commonly call diabetes is diabetes mellitus, which translates from the Greek as making lots of urine with sugar in it or making lots of sweet urine. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus are diseases that have in common, sugar in the urine and the increased urination. When there are high amounts of sugar in the blood, the kidneys filter sugar into the urine. Sugar can be measured in the urine through a lab test commonly called a urinalysis. Urine dipsticks are also used to show sugar in the urine. Patients who develop diabetes mellitus most commonly have initial symptoms of increased thirst, increased urination and blurred vision due to high amounts of sugar in the fluids of the eye. Type 1 diabetes results from a rheumatoid-like autoimmune reaction in which one's own body attacks and destroys the beta cells of the pancreas. These are the cells that normally produce insulin. Type 1 is a disease in which the patient in a relatively short time has no insulin production. All patients with type 1 diabetes can also develop a serious metabolic disorder called ketoacidosis when their blood sugars are high and there is not enough insulin in their body. Ketoacidosis can be fatal unless treated as an emergency with hydration and insulin. Type 1 was once commonly called juvenile diabetes mellitus because it is most commonly diagnosed in children. It should be noted that even older adults in their 60s have occasionally been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus. One should think of it as a disease of high blood sugars due to a deficiency of insulin production. It must be treated by administration of insulin. Insulin is given at least twice a day and is often given four times a day in type 1 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes rates are growing dramatically Continue reading >>

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy. Sometimes your body doesn’t make enough—or any—insulin or doesn’t use insulin well. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause health problems. Although diabetes has no cure, you can take steps to manage your diabetes and stay healthy. Sometimes people call diabetes “a touch of sugar” or “borderline diabetes.” These terms suggest that someone doesn’t really have diabetes or has a less serious case, but every case of diabetes is serious. What are the different types of diabetes? The most common types of diabetes are type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes If you have type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. Your immune system attacks and destroys the cells in your pancreas that make insulin. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, although it can appear at any age. People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day to stay alive. Type 2 diabetes If you have type 2 diabetes, your body does not make or use insulin well. You can develop type 2 diabetes at any age, even during childhood. However, this type of diabetes occurs most often in middle-aged and older people. Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes. Gestational diabetes Gestational diabetes develops in some women when they are pregnant. Most of the time, this type of diabetes goes away after the baby is born. However, if you’ve had gestational diabetes, you have a greater chan Continue reading >>

About Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. Most of the food you eat is broken down into sugar (also called glucose) and released into your bloodstream. Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin, which acts like a key to let the blood sugar into your body’s cells for use as energy. If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream, which over time can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease. There isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, but healthy lifestyle habits, taking medicine as needed, getting diabetes self-management education, and keeping appointments with your health care team can greatly reduce its impact on your life. 30.3 million US adults have diabetes, and 1 in 4 of them don’t know they have it. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the US. Diabetes is the No. 1 cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and adult-onset blindness. In the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than tripled as the American population has aged and become more overweight or obese. Types of Diabetes There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant). Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistake) that stops your body from making insulin. About 5% of the people who have diabetes have type 1. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes often develop quickly. It’s usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults. If you have type 1 diabetes, you’ll need t Continue reading >>

Differences Between Type 1 And Type 2

Tweet Whilst both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are characterised by having higher than normal blood sugar levels, the cause and development of the conditions are different. Confused over which type of diabetes you have? It's not always clear what type of diabetes someone has, despite what many people think. For instance, the typical assumption is that people with type 2 diabetes will be overweight and not inject insulin, while people with type 1 diabetes will be, if anything, underweight. But these perceptions just aren't always true. Around 20% of people with type 2 diabetes are of a healthy weight when diagnosed, and many of them are dependent on insulin. Similarly, people with type 1 diabetes will in some cases be overweight. Because both types of diabetes can be so varied and unpredictable, it's often difficult to know which type of diabetes someone has. It's not safe to assume that an overweight person with high blood glucose levels has type 2 diabetes, because the cause of their condition might in fact be attributable to type 1. In some cases, when the type of diabetes is in doubt, your health team may need to carry out specialised tests to work out which type of diabetes you have. This way, they can recommend the most appropriate treatment for your diabetes. Common differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes Despite the uncertainty that often surrounds a diagnosis of diabetes, there are a few common characteristics of each diabetes type. Please note that these differences are based on generalisations - exceptions are common. For instance, the perception of type 1 diabetes isn't strictly true: many cases are diagnosed in adulthood. This table should be seen as a rough guide to the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, rather than hard and fast rules. Co Continue reading >>

Why Type 2 Diabetes In Children Is Much More Serious Than In Adults

Editor's Note: The Children’s Health Matters blog is a space dedicated to sharing important new research, policy ideas, clinical findings and journalism on child health and development. The blog features an occassional column with new insights offered by two of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ leading community-based research teams. The first of the two groups is made up of community-based researchers who are tackling pediatric health challenges stemming from obesity and diabetes. Our other group of Children’s Hospital L.A. contributors is focused on severely ill children who are aging out of pediatric care and the services and benefits that formerly supported them. This post is from Nancy Chang, the lead clinical research nurse and coordinator for a large study of type 2 diabetes in youth at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. ** When you hear the term type 2 diabetes, you might think about your grandmother, your aunt or another older adult with the disease that you may know. But a child with type 2? And yet in the past 20 years, more and more children and adolescents have been diagnosed with the disease. Many people don’t realize that kids as young as 10 can also develop type 2 diabetes, and even fewer know that when it is diagnosed at such an early age, it seems to be a much more serious than when it’s diagnosed in adulthood. For the past 11 years I have been working with children and teens who are participating in a study called TODAY (Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth). The TODAY study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, was developed by a group of pediatric endocrinologists that started to see an alarming number of cases of type 2 diabetes in the 1990s. Until then, most children diagnosed with diabetes had type 1 Continue reading >>

Type 1s Vs. Type 2s?

If you’ve read my books or blog entries, you know that I advocate people coming together to fight for health. But it seems some people with diabetes may fight each other instead of allying. A recent article on Diabetes Health, called “What People with Type 1 Diabetes Can Learn from Type 2s,” provoked dozens of mostly angry comments. “Type 1 is nothing like Type 2,” was the type of comment posted by many people with Type 1. One wrote, ” [Unlike people with Type 2], I cannot take a day off. If I eat everything my dietitian suggests, I must still check my blood glucose four to seven times per day and take numerous injections or bolus my pump. How many Type 2s have been unconscious in the middle of the night due to low blood sugar?” The source of the anger seems to be society’s prejudice against people with Type 2, the belief that the disease is their fault, that they could cure it with diet and exercise. Some of this nonsense is sloshing from Types 2s onto Type 1s because the public doesn’t know the difference between the two conditions. “Thanks to Type 2s, people who have Type 1 are a getting a ‘bad rap’,” one poster wrote. Some Type 1 victims of this prejudice resent it. “I wish these two different diseases didn’t go by the same name,” was a typical type of comment. The sad thing is that many people with Type 1 seem to have bought into the false idea that people with Type 2 are “doing it to themselves.” Their anger is understandable. Living with Type 1 is hard enough, and now everyone thinks you brought it on yourself, and most of the research money and publicity starts going into Type 2. There is also the perception that Type 2s don’t understand how hard it is to live with Type 1, with the dangers of hypos and all the matching of ca Continue reading >>

Type 1 Diabetes Facts

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that occurs when a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, the hormone that controls blood-sugar levels. T1D develops when the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells are mistakenly destroyed by the body’s immune system. The cause of this attack is still being researched, however scientists believe the cause may have genetic and environmental components. There is nothing anyone can do to prevent T1D. Presently, there is no known cure. Who T1D affects Type 1 diabetes (sometimes known as juvenile diabetes) affects children and adults, though people can be diagnosed at any age. With a typically quick onset, T1D must be managed with the use of insulin—either via injection or insulin pump. Soon, people who are insulin dependent may also be able to use artificial pancreas systems to automatically administer their insulin. How T1D is managed Type 1 diabetes is a 24/7 disease that requires constant management. People with T1D continuously and carefully balance insulin intake with eating, exercise and other activities. They also measure blood-sugar levels through finger pricks, ideally at least six times a day, or by wearing a continuous glucose monitor. Even with a strict regimen, people with T1D may still experience dangerously high or low blood-glucose levels that can, in extreme cases, be life threatening. Every person with T1D becomes actively involved in managing his or her disease. Insulin is not a cure While insulin therapy keeps people with T1D alive and can help keep blood-glucose levels within recommended range, it is not a cure, nor does it prevent the possibility of T1D’s serious effects. The outlook for treatments and a cure Although T1D is a serious and challenging disease, long-term management options cont Continue reading >>

Diabetes: Differences Between Type 1 And 2 - Topic Overview

In general, people with diabetes either have a total lack of insulin (type 1 diabetes) or they have too little insulin or cannot use insulin effectively (type 2 diabetes). Type 1 diabetes (formerly called juvenile-onset or insulin-dependent diabetes), accounts for 5 to 10 out of 100 people who have diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the body's immune system destroys the cells that release insulin, eventually eliminating insulin production from the body. Without insulin, cells cannot absorb sugar (glucose), which they need to produce energy. Type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult-onset or non-insulin-dependent diabetes) can develop at any age. It most commonly becomes apparent during adulthood. But type 2 diabetes in children is rising. Type 2 diabetes accounts for the vast majority of people who have diabetes-90 to 95 out of 100 people. In type 2 diabetes, the body isn't able to use insulin the right way. This is called insulin resistance. As type 2 diabetes gets worse, the pancreas may make less and less insulin. This is called insulin deficiency. How are these diseases different? Differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes Type 1 diabetes Type 2 diabetes Symptoms usually start in childhood or young adulthood. People often seek medical help, because they are seriously ill from sudden symptoms of high blood sugar. The person may not have symptoms before diagnosis. Usually the disease is discovered in adulthood, but an increasing number of children are being diagnosed with the disease. Episodes of low blood sugar level (hypoglycemia) are common. There are no episodes of low blood sugar level, unless the person is taking insulin or certain diabetes medicines. It cannot be prevented. It can be prevented or delayed with a healthy lifestyle, including maintaining a healthy wei Continue reading >>

Type 1 Vs. Type 2 Diabetes: Which One Is Worse?

What are the differences between the causes of type 1 and type 2? The underlying causes of type 1 and type 2 are different. Type 1 diabetes causes Type 1 diabetes is believed to be due to an autoimmune process, in which the body's immune system mistakenly targets its own tissues (islet cells in the pancreas). In people with type 1 diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas that are responsible for insulin production are attacked by the misdirected immune system. This tendency for the immune system to destroy the beta cells of the pancreas is likely to be, at least in part, genetically inherited, although the exact reasons that this process happens are not fully understood. Exposure to certain viral infections (mumps and Coxsackie viruses) or other environmental toxins have been suggested as possible reasons why the abnormal antibody responses develop that cause damage to the pancreas cells. The primary problem in type 2 diabetes is the inability of the body's cells to use insulin properly and efficiently, leading to hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and diabetes. This problem affects mostly the cells of muscle and fat tissues, and results in a condition known as insulin resistance. In type 2 diabetes, there also is a steady decline of beta cells that worsens the process of elevated blood sugars. At the beginning, if someone is resistant to insulin, the body can at least partially increase production of insulin enough to overcome the level of resistance. Over time, if production decreases and enough insulin cannot be released, blood sugar levels rise. In many cases this actually means the pancreas produces larger than normal quantities of insulin, but the body is not able to use it effectively. A major feature of type 2 diabetes is a lack of sensitivity to insulin by the ce Continue reading >>

What's The Difference Between Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes share the problem of high levels of blood sugar. The inability to control blood sugar causes the symptoms and the complications of both types of diabetes. But type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are two different diseases in many ways. According to the latest (2014) estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 29.1 million people, or 9.3 percent of the U.S. population, have diabetes. Type 1 diabetes affects just 5 percent of those adults, with type 2 diabetes affecting up to 95 percent. Here’s what else you need to know to be health-savvy in the age of the diabetes epidemic. What Causes Diabetes? "Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease — the body's immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that make insulin," a hormone, says Andjela Drincic, MD, associate professor of internal medicine in the division of diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolism at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. The exact cause is not known, but it's probably a combination of the genes a person is born with and something in the environment that triggers the genes to become active. "The cause of type 2 diabetes is multifactorial," says Dr. Drincic. "People inherit genes that make them susceptible to type 2, but lifestyle factors, like obesity and inactivity, are also important. In type 2 diabetes, at least in the early stages, there is enough insulin, but the body becomes resistant to it." Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include a family history of the disease, a poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, and obesity. African-Americans, Latin Americans, and certain Native American groups have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes than Caucasian Americans. Juvenile or Adult-Onset: When Does Diabetes Start? Usually, type 1 diabetes in dia Continue reading >>